This invention was not made with U.S. government support.
Overhang and tenting of the skin in the upper and lower lids of the eyes are unique phenomena that can occur in individuals that are not in advanced ages. The skin in the upper and lower lids of the eyes can be resistant to eye creams for the reduction of the presentation of skin tenting, overhang and laxity. In the case of citric acid, there are no approved or rigorously evaluated non-surgical alternatives for the upper and lower lids. Surgical alternatives include, on a scale of increasing invasiveness, various forms of surgical upper and lower lid blepharoplasties where incisions are made and fat is surgically teased out in candidates. All surgeries are associated with the known risks of anesthesia, infection, bleeding, bruising, scarring, as well as the possibility of poor outcome and the expected discomfort and “down-time” for the patient. Presently, there are no injections for the upper and lower lids that reverse skin tenting, laxity, overhang, sag or puffiness. There has been hesitation in the market to date for injections into the tissue proximal to the orbits of the eyes. Injections into this anatomical sight increase the risk of causing blindness in the patient. None of the cosmetic substances currently in the cosmetic injection market can be injected into the eye lids or the tissue proximal to the orbits of the eyes. There is a need in the market, therefore, for a non-surgical alternative to address skin conditions of the eye lids which does not pose the risk of causing blindness. A citrate solution however, could be used to successfully treat skin conditions of the eye lids without the risk of causing blindness in patients. The demand for non-surgical eye correction is very high in the cosmetic market.
In spite of procedural risks, the growing appeal of cosmetic medical treatment of said procedures is a testament to the psychological importance of body image and the beneficial outcomes of these procedures. as perceived by the patients who seek them. However, the significance of a product that corrects signs of peri-orbital aging with little to no risk is significant.